The study, which analysed over 2.7 billion user sessions across over 328 travel sites from around the world, found that travel brands have an incredibly limited time to make an impression on their customers. In fact, 42% of visitors abandon travel sites after viewing only one page, with the vast majority of content never being viewed at all. Of the pages that do get visited, the average traveller views just 53% of what’s on screen, often leaving without scrolling down the page.
With so little time to make an impression, travel brands need to make their content as attention-grabbing as possible to engage visitors – particularly as the industry recovers from the aftershock of Covid-19. Pre-pandemic insights on travellers are no longer relevant for decision makers today. For example, there has been a sudden increase in travel demand, but this is paired with an increased demand for last-minute flight, hotel, and tour booking cancellations, as uncertainty lingers. Sites need to make cancellation policies as clear as possible, and be flexible with this as we return to normality. Mobile accessibility has also become more important than ever as we stray from customer-facing services and head towards a more pandemic-proof ‘contactless’ society.
“The travel industry is still navigating its way through COVID-induced impacts and the influx of travellers making plans this summer, and we’ve seen a lot of fallout in recent weeks stemming from airline staff shortages, lost traveller items, and ever-changing entry guidelines for countries around the world,” says Niki Hall, CMO at Contentsquare, “Most directly, this impacts customers and their confidence in traveling with certain airlines, travel groups, or hotel brands following a negative experience. On the flip side, a positive, worry-free, and communication-forward experience goes a long way in building lasting confidence and loyalty, which surely sets up these travel brands for a more successful post-COVID recovery. Smart travel companies are doing everything in their power to not only pull in as many customers as possible but to keep them.”
“Travel brands must focus on finding what pieces of content are most valued by users, and then put this at the forefront of their sites to maximize customer engagement. That could be anything from more flexible and less costly itinerary change requests, traveller support during a trip, or clearly defined COVID protocols by country. By reviewing the best and worst performing content of their websites and apps, brands can quickly identify what customers need and want, build those elements into the digital journey, and minimize site abandonment.”
Limited attention spans may be the result of an increase in travel customers browsing on the go, with 62% of travel traffic now coming from mobile devices. To benefit from this change, travel sites need to be as mobile-accessible as possible and prioritize developing features that create seamless booking experiences for customers on the move.
Tags: Contentsquare
